Bend man arrested in theft of Jeep at Westside gas station

A 34-year-old Bend man who allegedly stole a Jeep from a Westside gas station parking lot Saturday afternoon was arrested after a Deschutes County sheriff’s sergeant spotted the car in northeast Bend and pulled it over, police said.

Around 4:35 p.m., an employee of Joe’s Westside Shell said he saw a man steal a customer’s blue 1978 CJ5 Jeep from the parking lot, said Lt. Jason Mainscalco. The worker said the keys were in the Jeep and provided a description of the suspect.

A Deschutes County sheriff’s sergeant spotted the Jeep on North Division Street and pulled it over on O.B. Riley Road near Sawyer Park, detaining the driver, identified as William Cody Bird IV.

The stolen car’s owner advised he didn’t know Bird and did not give him permission to drive it, Maniscalco said.

Bird was lodged at the Deschutes County Jail on a charge of unauthorized use of a vehicle and later released on his own recognizance, jail officials said.